It takes a certain kind of person to enjoy the thrill of eating a super hot pepper, but some pepper lovers take it to the extreme.
The thrill factor can’t always be contained to a spicy hot meal or snack. Sometimes it’s all about testing yourself and pushing your taste buds to the very limit. Just like some people are drawn to high endurance physical feats, it takes a certain amount of endurance to handle the sheer fiery heat of a super hot pepper. In fact, that’s what draws in some people to put themselves to the challenge.
Researchers seem to think the same people drawn to spicy hot food challenges are also drawn to other heart-pumping, adrenaline-surging activities, from roller coasters to action movies. If you’re one of them, you’ve probably already sensed the appeal of entering one of the many hot wings and spicy food challenges held around the country. Some people do it for the prizes, others for sheer bragging rights.
Food challenges aren’t just confined to spicy hot festivals and expos, either.
About a decade ago “Man v Food” kicked off on the Travel Channel, and it was pure entertainment watching the host try to make it through a plate of hot wings topped off with ghost chili extract. Of course, while extracts are off the charts hot, pepper enthusiasts know there are other seriously hot products on the market, too.
Hot sauce takes center stage when celebrity guests sweat it out during a hot interview segment, made even hotter by some extremely spicy hot wings in the online web series, “Hot Ones”. Then, of course, there are all the videos of average people making up their own spicy hot challenges, and putting the results online for everyone to see. Whether just for fun, or to make a name for yourself, the question remains; are you up to the challenge?